title: Headache and the cervical spine: a critical review.
abstract: Headache related to the cervical spine is often misdiagnosed and treated inadequately because of confusing and varying terminology. Primary headaches such as tension-type headache and migraine are incorrectly categorized as "cervicogenic" merely because of their occipital localization. Cervicogenic headache as described by Sjaastad presents as a unilateral headache of fluctuating intensity increased by movement of the head and typically radiates from occipital to frontal regions. Definition, pathophysiology; differential diagnoses and therapy of cervicogenic headache are demonstrated. Ipsilateral blockades of the C2 root and/or greater occipital nerve allow a differentiation between cervicogenic headache and primary headache syndromes such as migraine or tension-type headache. Neither pharmacological nor surgical or chiropractic procedures lead to a significant improvement or remission of cervicogenic headache. Pains of various anatomical regions possibly join into a common anatomical pathway, then present as cervicogenic headache, which should therefore be understood as a homogeneous but also unspecific pattern of reaction.
authors.affiliation: Marianne Strauss-Klinik, Berg, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pöllmann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keidel
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pfaffenrath
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D009333:Neck / Q000294:innervation*; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy